[W]indermere School’s younger pupils recently took to the stage to perform The Rocky Monster Show. Pupils from Year 6, ably supported by their Year 5 counterparts, entertained audiences made up of family, friends and pupils with their version of this rock ‘n’ roll musical.
No doubt buoyed by the success of the senior school production of Hairspray The Musical which wowed a full house in the school’s Crampton Hall just before Christmas, the hard work put in by the Elleray pupils was obvious from the moment the show began. Weeks of rehearsing songs, practising dance routines and learning their lines had paid off.
The pupils put on three performances of this bizarre, anarchic and funny musical. The first show was a matinee performance for all Elleray pupils, as well as pupils from Goodly Dale Primary School in Windermere, followed by two thoroughly entertaining evening performances.
Written by Malcolm Sircom, the story centres on Baron Frankenstein’s descendant and ex-pop star turned professor of Genetics, Professor Fenton, played superbly by Nuala Sankey, who creates DNA moulds of people using his computer. With the help of his two assistants, Mungo and Elsa (Jack Whewell and Millie Westmoreland-Nicholson), Professor Fenton is able to bring these moulds to life and creates the ultimate pop group, headed by a clone of Elvis himself, played by Freddie Ogden.
This fun-packed musical, dubbed a riotous mix of The Addams Family, Young Frankenstein, The Phantom of the Opera, with a bit of Rebecca and The Rocky Horror Show thrown in for good measure, thrilled the audience with some great tunes and fabulous dance routines.
Mrs. Nield, who directed the show, was full of praise for the pupils: “The children have had so much fun putting The Rocky Monster Show together and I’m sure that all those who came to see it will agree that it showed in the performances. I’m extremely proud of them.”
Mrs Thomas, Head of the Elleray Campus at Windermere School, was quick to echo Mrs Nield’s comments: “What stars we have at Elleray! This year’s production has been another triumph. The pupils delighted the audience with their spooky tale of Professor Fenton and his rather unconventional group of family and friends. The catchy songs and amazing costumes were a real treat for us all. Once again, a huge thank you must go to everyone involved, without whom, we would not be able to put on such outstanding productions.”
Adds Mr Lavender, Headmaster of Windermere School: “It is not easy to produce a musical with Year 5 and Year 6 students, but they clearly enjoyed getting into character and performing on a bigger stage. They showed confidence and vitality, not to mention new found levels of zing. This does not come without considerable hard work, and I was most certainly impressed with the whole cast.”
